Rule 25
by ReesieReese
Summary: A shinobi must never show their emotions, no matter what the situation... the side of ninjas you never get to see... Oneshot.


_Summary: Shinobi are never supposed to reveal their feelings… the side of the ninjas you never get to see…_

_Author's Note: After watching just about every episode of Naruto, and seeing a whole bunch of emotions in there, my mind traveled back to the rule that shinobi are never supposed to reveal their emotions. So… I decided to write a one-shot fic on that. _

**Rule 25**

_Rule number twenty-five: A shinobi must keep their emotions on the inside, no matter what the situation._

This is probably the most ignored rule of them all. Even the calmest ninjas need to express themselves at sometime. Beneath the indifferent masks they wear on the streets are emotions we never would've guessed they had. For example, at the third hokage's funeral, we saw sadness. Funerals open the door to one of the many exceptions of the twenty-sixth rule. If one of your loved ones (or important people as some shinobi call it) die, you're allowed to mourn, right? Sure… as long as you don't let it get in the way of your job. Feelings are a sign of weakness, and should not be shown at anytime.

_They say that love is the weakest emotion._

During ninja shortages (a time when most ninja are already out on missions, but there are still some missions that need to be done), it's hard to find two ninjas that aren't involved in a serious relationship. The most famous couple of Konoha shows it…

Kakashi and Iruka.

Though Iruka doesn't show it (he gets embarrassed easily), Kakashi does (sometimes in the most perverted ways imaginable). The two were able to hide it for quite some time (three months), before it was all over Konoha (you can blame Anko and Kurenai for that). When Tsunade sends them on missions, she always prays that nothing happens to them. Kakashi had already seen his teammates die, and seen his past teams fail. He keeps a calm outlook on the outside, but on the inside, he's kind of depressed. If something happened to Iruka that would be it. He would be very sad, and Tsunade didn't want to see him moping around. Iruka, on the other hand, wouldn't be as affected as Kakashi, but he'd still be deeply hurt. We all know how he lost his parents at a young age due to the Kyuubi incident, but we don't know about the rest of his family.

His mother's side of the family didn't approve of his mother's marriage, but his father's side did. After their deaths, his mother's side didn't really communicate with Iruka. His father's side would have, but they were all in different villages, and dealing with problems of their own. Plus, about half of them didn't even know that Iruka existed. Because he didn't actually have a family, he had to make a family for himself.

That's why he became a schoolteacher. He was always surrounded by a bunch of little kids who loved him, even if they did get on his nerves sometimes. Naruto was one of those kids, and the one he was able to talk to the most. His parents also died in the Kyuubi attack, and though Iruka was at least able to know his parents for a few years (Naruto never knew his), he could still feel what he was feeling. The two had developed a father/son relationship, and because Iruka sees Naruto as his own son, he's very protective of him. Whenever Naruto gets severely hurt on a trip, Kakashi's always extra late to turn in his mission report… because he knows that when Iruka find out, there'll be **HELL TO PAY.** (When angry, the chuunin is actually scarier than people think.) Of course, Iruka never stays mad at him for long; when it's time to go on a mission, he always forgets about Naruto for a moment. As soon as Kakashi gets hurt, his mother hen instincts kick in, and he's trying to keep Kakashi from getting up and hurting himself even more.

There was one incident where Kakashi was severely hurt, and poisoned. The poison had attacked most of his blood cells, and made it painful to breathe. The doctors had told him there was small chance that he'd live. Tsunade remembers that day; and after remembering how Iruka acted after hearing the news, she can only imagine how he'll act if Kakashi actually dies.

_The love thing also goes for missing nins._

We all know how Sasuke hates Itachi; that's why he joined Orochimaru. He was an avenger seeking power. However, the day Sasuke actually fought Itachi and won, he couldn't kill him. Itachi was lying on the ground, weakened from the fight, and vulnerable. He even asked Sasuke to kill him, to put him out of his misery; but Sasuke still couldn't kill him. That was when Itachi realized something. He was looking for power when he killed his clan, and Sasuke was looking for power when he joined Orochimaru. He was full of hate, and Sasuke was too. Both made bad decisions. Both became missing nins. They were just like each other, even though they wouldn't admit it. Itachi slowly healed, and Sasuke joined his brother. Then, something happened.

It had started out as a kiss on the forehead. They only happened once every few weeks. Nothing much. Those kisses started to get more frequent; many of them were not on the forehead. Finally, things started to get much more… _physical. _Kisame noticed that the two were much closer than usual, and he had a few suspicions. At first, he wouldn't say anything for fear of being beat up by the both of them. But then, after Itachi's skills were weakening every time Sasuke was involved, he finally said something.

"_Remember Itachi… feelings are a sign of weakness."_

He didn't mention anything about Sasuke, but Itachi seemed to know what he was talking about. From that day on, there were many awkward silences between the two.

_Fear is especially never supposed to be shown._

Showing fear was dangerous during missions; if a shinobi were to show fear, the enemy would know that they have them backed up into a corner. Many ninja have learned how to hold fear back, but all of them have shown this emotion at least once, even Gaara…

From far away, it seems like Gaara has no reason to fear anything. He's always threatening to kill people, so why should he care if they die on missions?

Underneath the uncaring mask he always wears, Gaara is afraid. He's afraid that something will happen to his siblings, even though he'd never admit it to anyone. He's very protective of both of them, and is constantly threatening to kill anyone that tries to harm them. Most people wouldn't believe it if they heard about it, but Shikamaru knows this. On his first date with Temari, Gaara's exact words were 'hurt her and I'll kill you.' Although it didn't sound like it, what he meant was 'she's the only sister I've got, so please take care of her.' Shikamaru seemed to understand this, so he just nodded and smiled politely. (Of course, you can also bet that he didn't hurt Temari.)

On one mission, a group of Akatsuki had held Kankuro and Temari hostage. They wanted a few scrolls containing forbidden jutsus from the village. If they didn't get the scrolls by sundown, his siblings would die. This was a lose/lose situation. If he didn't give them the scrolls, they would kill his brother and sister, and most likely hold more people hostage until they get the scrolls. If he did give them the scrolls, the Akatsuki would probably just kill his siblings anyway, and go on to destroy the village along with other ones. For the first time in a long time, Gaara actually showed fear. Fear for his siblings and his village. Luckily, he had been able to keep the scrolls and his family, but who knows what'll happen if that ever happens again?

They say that emotions are a sign of weakness. They should be hidden at all times. But, even the most indifferent shinobi have to show emotions at some time.

When Kurenai was captured, Asuma showed fear for his friend.

When Kiba and Shino go out, even Shino shows love for his friend.

When Shikamaru was born, Shikato cried tears of joy.

Emotions may be a sign of weakness, but that doesn't mean they should be hidden all the time.

**END**

_Author's Note: So… what did you think? Was it good, did it suck, does it need more work? Reviews are appreciated, so… review pleez! Reviewers get ramen from the ramen fairy! _


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